


Written in the Stars

by rarepairqueen



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bubble Bath, Exam Stress, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, How Do I Tag, M/M, New Years Eve Shrine Visits, Romantic Fluff, Sloppy Makeouts, Slow Build, insecure Hanamiya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 11:05:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14163462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarepairqueen/pseuds/rarepairqueen
Summary: Imayoshi's first year at college is lacking a little something, that something being the only person who makes him feel alive, so he sets off to change that.His only problem is that Hanamiya is suspicious of his true intentions and won't be made a fool of so easily.Thus, Imayoshi must prove to Hanamiya that he's not going to be the victim of a sick prank, but is actually, truly in love with him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic had a lot of effort put into it, many evenings were spent crafting it so if there are any mistakes (esp in regards to characterisation) please be polite when pointing it out. 
> 
> Whilst this was a requested fic, I did seize it as an opportunity to experiment with my writing style a bit so hopefully the original requester doesn't mind that!
> 
> (also I'm pretty sure this is the longest piece I've written for one request so there's that too)

_How do we rewrite the stars?_  
_Say you were made to be mine?_  
  
_Nothing can keep us apart_  
_Cause you are the one I was meant to find_

 

* * *

 

Imayoshi prided himself on not being easily shaken. Whilst most of his classmates had been anxious about graduating high school and heading off to college, he was calm and composed. He had left the basketball team in good hands, he had gotten high scores on all his tests, passed his entrance exam with flying colours and Tokyo university had been nothing but good to him for the first few months of his studies.

That being said, there was something off with his post-high school life.

The transition academically had been fine; he was doing well in all his assignments, he was passing with good grades, making friends with his classmates and had kept on his teacher's good side so far. But all of that came at a price, to get such good grades he had to slave over his work every night, weekends vanished before his eyes for almost an entire semester whilst one major project was due.

It had been frustrating for him, he didn't want to spend all his time with his nose in his books. He wanted to spend time with those closest to him. He wanted to spend time with Hanamiya.

Getting Hanamiya to hang out with him now they were on two different schedules had been more difficult than it should’ve. But they had managed to secure the second weekend of every month to see each other. With the hectic assignment deadlines, Imayoshi was always thankful for the few hours of relaxation with one who knew him better than anyone else.

There had been more than a few remarks from his classmates about the appearance of love-bites on his neck after one of those weekends, about the rumours of him dating a former rival -- showed how much they knew -- and the straightforward questions of 'you're banging a guy aren't you?'

Imayoshi knew they weren't being overly 'mean' about it, his new friends were curious, they didn't really know him after all. He stuck up a conversation with Kasamatsu once during study hall about the entire ordeal, Kasamatsu had given him a somehow put out look for the interruption but was polite enough to listen.

"So your classmates didn't know about your reputation with Hanamiya? Big whoop." Kasamatsu huffed, turning the page in his textbook. "Now if you were actually _dating_ Hanamiya, that would be a different story."

"How so?" Imayoshi chuckled, it wasn't the first time he had entertained the idea of dating Hanamiya, but there were a few roadblocks to that.

Kasamatsu sighed heavily, sensing he had just opened Pandora’s box as Imayoshi sat across the table from him. "Well-- neither of you have ever seemed lovey-dovey." He dismissively replied, trying to find the paragraph he needed in his book. "Everyone at Kaijo had you guys down as 'friends with benefits' and nothing more."

"I'm glad we were such gossip material."

"Blame Kise."

Imayoshi chuckled again, drumming his fingers on the desk as his thoughts turned over in his head. "Would it really be so surprising for me and Makoto to date conventionally?"

There was a snort. "Please, the prince of darkness himself dating the self-proclaimed bad-boy of basketball?" Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow "Somehow you manage to be both like peas in a pod but also like fire and ice. It's annoying to a degree."

"You're saying we're perfect for each other but also polar opposites?"

Kasamatsu nodded. "So if you were to date, it would be unsurprising but there'd be plenty of people wondering how the hell you'd make it work."

Imayoshi was finding this all fascinating. He had no idea that people had been talking about him and Hanamiya. All he had ever heard during their high school days were 'miracles this' and 'miracles that'. He hadn't realised his tendency to sneak off and rendezvous with his middle school contact had been noticed.

"Huh, well, I guess now's a good a time as any to test that theory out." He remarked, gaining a confused look from Kasamatsu.

"Wait, what are you--"

"It's been on my mind for a while Yukio, and you just gave me the final push I needed."

Kasamatsu blinked, trying to unpick Imayoshi's cryptic remarks. "Okay...well let me know how that goes?"

Imayoshi nodded, excusing himself from the table and making his way out of study hall. He wasn't lying when he said it had been on his mind for a while, graduating high school and ending up in college had opened his eyes to a few things; mainly how much he valued Hanamiya's presence, how much he depended on the other to force him to unplug. The few times they had met up since the year started had been the most refreshing days of his recent life.

Sometimes when he saw couples around campus he got a strange ache in his chest, a longing for something more than one night stands and nights of 'Netflix and chill' that never ended anywhere other than the bedroom. He didn't _hate_ that they were very sexual in their endeavours, but he would be lying if he didn't crave just holding Hanamiya's hand in the most innocent of manners, of softly kissing the other at the bus shelter as the rain fell around them.

Imayoshi was quickly realising he was a bit of a hopeless romantic, what a chain of events this was turning into.

As he continued walking back towards his dormitory room, enjoying the summer heat as the vacation beckoned, he accepted that he had been working too hard to really sit and take stock of his feelings. Burying himself in assignments over the summer vacation wasn't going to help these matters.

He would have to take the bull by the horns and confront the emptiness in his core. Like it or not, he was missing Hanamiya in more than a physical sense, and he needed Hanamiya to be a more constant force of nature in his life.

However, deciding himself that he wanted a more serious relationship was only the first step. Now he had a mountain to climb, convincing Hanamiya that he was serious about it wasn't going to be easy, but where was the fun in a simple confession anyway?

 

* * *

 

 

The drone of the fan filled the silence in the dorm room. Imayoshi stacked his textbooks up on his desk, colourful tabs marking reference pages for his next assignment that was firmly at the back of his mind.

Today was just about him and Hanamiya.

He had worked tirelessly to get ahead on his deadlines so that he could put his lover first and foremost that Saturday. Both their schedules had lined up perfectly so they were both free the entire weekend, Hanamiya had been content with the idea of spending it in Imayoshi's dorm room. Little did he know, Imayoshi was going to be trying something a little different that weekend to the usual activities.

The campus was a little emptier than usual, summer vacation had started for some courses and so some of the student body had already gone home for the break. Imayoshi had debated going home, but decided that he could pay a flying visit before class began again, his sister was probably using his room for slumber parties and his dad was no doubt working so it wasn't like he would be missing much.

Besides, there was someone slightly more important at the moment.

It was a hot and humid day so far, the little desk fan in Imayoshi's room was doing its best to cool the room, but the room was stifling despite its efforts. Imayoshi huffed, wiping the sweat on his neck with his shirt. The door buzzer sounding dragged him from his thoughts. He swallowed as he opened the door and saw the familiar face of Hanamiya.

Every time they saw each other, Imayoshi swore Hanamiya had been working out more. It didn't help matters that Hanamiya was wearing a tank top that showed off his shoulders. His hair had grown out a little since last month and Hanamiya had it tied back in the summer heat, keeping a few strands to frame his face.

"Man, this heatwave sucks." Hanamiya huffed, letting his bag drop to the floor just inside the door.

"Yeah, don't worry, we'll be going somewhere with air con." Imayoshi replied, swiping his keys off his desk along with his wallet. Hanamiya raised an eyebrow, drawing Imayoshi's attention to the slight change in his face. "...have you plucked your eyebrows?"

"Wha--no!" Hanamiya looked shell-shocked at the accusation "why would I?"

Imayoshi snorted, ushering him into the hallway so he could lock the door. "Makoto, you complained on more than one occasion about someone making fun of them."

"Psh." Hanamiya scoffed, shoving Imayoshi playfully. "Like I'd do anything because of _that_."

"So you _have_ done something." Imayoshi nudged him in the side. "Do tell, I'm dying to hear your reasoning."

"Can't a guy take care of his appearance without being interrogated about it?"

Imayoshi chuckled slightly as Hanamiya pouted. "Sure he can, but it's unlike you to care so much, and I like that about you."

"Blegh," Hanamiya made a gagging motion as they walked down the hallway towards the main entrance of the dorm building. "you're making me sick with that talk."

"What can I say, it's been a few weeks since we last saw each other, you're a sight for sore eyes."

Hanamiya shrugged, smiling slightly as he followed Imayoshi's lead outside. The heat hit both of them in a wave, Imayoshi huffed as they walked side by side and caught up on the recent goings-on of their lives. Hanamiya was trying to get his team to focus on the Winter Cup for his final year of high school but they were proving somewhat reluctant to do so, prompting the captain to get more and more irate with them.

"It's like, I know we're not the most conventional team and we don't _really_ have a chance at winning the whole thing, but it would be nice if they actually gave a shit!" Hanamiya complained.

Imayoshi nodded, seeing some parallels between Hanamiya's team and Aomine. As they halted at a road crossing, he chuckled slightly, remembering the number of times he complained to Hanamiya about the ace's attitude and Hanamiya told him to 'kick the miracle's ass into shape then'.

"What's got you cackling?" Hanamiya snorted.

"Just remembering when I had a problem with Aomine and you used to tell me to resort to violence." Imayoshi replied with a smile. Hanamiya laughed as the crossing signal went green and they walked across the road to the shopping mall on the other side of the street. The relief that the air conditioning of the building offered was heavenly, yet Hanamiya still wasn’t sure what they were actually doing there.

They wandered the stores in the mall for a while, continuing their conversation from earlier as they window shopped and enjoyed the cool air the building. Hanamiya would go as far as to say he was enjoying the relaxed afternoon. It was busy in the mall, meaning if there were any lulls in the conversation between them, there was no silence to speak of.

"Oi, tell me this shit isn't cute." Hanamiya gestured to a printed postcard of a ghoulish spider. Imayoshi had thought it was a little early for Halloween decorations to be a thing but they had somehow found a store selling them in the middle of July. He smiled as Hanamiya became fascinated with the artwork, living up to his rumoured nature of loving all things spider-related.

"It's...interesting." Imayoshi coyly replied, laughing as Hanamiya shot him a mildly offended look. "I can't say I share your enthusiasm for spiders."

"Pft." Hanamiya shook his head, flicking through more of the prints. "You wouldn't know a good spider if it bit you on the ass."

"No, no I wouldn't." Imayoshi shrugged.

"You're being oddly passive today." Hanamiya said abruptly. "What's gotten into you?"

 "Me?" Imayoshi remarked, pretending to be offended. He hadn't given Hanamiya's observation skills enough credit, it really had been a while since they last hung out.

"Yes." Hanamiya's attention had barely strayed from the art prints but Imayoshi could feel his skin crawling like a million tiny spiders were climbing up his arms. "Usually you're...more snarky."

Imayoshi didn't know how to avoid the question, which spoke more than any words could. Hanamiya met his gaze, Imayoshi had always likened the other's eyes to a forest; enchanting at first glance but also hiding something in their depths. He swallowed as he reeled himself back from getting lost in those depths in the middle of a store.

"Well," he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose slightly "it's been a few weeks since we last saw each other so I thought it'd be nice to be less...snarky..."

Hanamiya didn't seem to be buying it one little bit, raising an eyebrow and folding his toned arms across his chest. "Right, so we're caught up on all the recent shit, can we go back to being our normal bickering selves?"

It spoke volumes to Imayoshi that Hanamiya hadn't tried to accuse him of anything else. Either Hanamiya hadn't thought to question if Imayoshi's feelings had changed, or he hadn't noticed yet. Or maybe he _had_ noticed and wanted to see what Imayoshi was going to do about it.

"Sure, what do you want to do anyway?" Imayoshi asked as they exited the store.

Hanamiya let out a sigh. "Dunno, it's too hot to go back outside."

"How does triple chocolate fudge ice cream sound?" Imayoshi gestured to the ice cream parlour across the way from where they were.

"Fuck yes Shoichi, now we're talking." Hanamiya grinned, punching Imayoshi in the shoulder. "You buying?"

Imayoshi smiled slightly. "I guess I can, but you're buying breakfast tomorrow."

Hanamiya nodded and the distraction of food prevented Imayoshi being further interrogated about his 'weird mood'. He knew getting Hanamiya to take him more seriously in this relationship wasn't going to be easy, but he hadn't anticipated the other literally calling him out on the slightest shift in personality.

He was going to have to try harder to convince Hanamiya that they didn't always have to be snarky with each other to enjoy each other's company.

 

* * *

 

 

As the heat began to fade with the light of day, they decided to return to Imayoshi's dorm room. Imayoshi had barely shut the door behind them when Hanamiya was invading his personal space.

"Someone's needy this evening." Imayoshi remarked, knowing exactly where this was headed.

"Psh, like you kept saying today--" Hanamiya cut himself off by kissing Imayoshi, the taste of chocolate still present on his lips "--it's been a few weeks."

"True," Imayoshi returned the kiss more forcefully, hand cupping Hanamiya's jaw to hold him still even as he pulled back slightly. "I just anticipated you to wait a little longer."

Hanamiya found Imayoshi's free hand and squeezed it, prising the other from his face and proceeding to tug Imayoshi over to his own bed and shove him down.

"I've been waiting long enough." Hanamiya stated, straddling Imayoshi's waist and leaning down to kiss him hungrily. "I thought you wanted me over for sex, _just_ for sex."

There was a thinly veiled tone of apprehension behind Hanamiya's confident voice. His actions spoke of lust, hips rocking against Imayoshi's as he let out a shaky breath. Imayoshi chewed on his bottom lip as Hanamiya met his gaze with lidded eyes. There was a sense of desperation in the air as Imayoshi trailed a hand down Hanamiya's back.

"You think that?" Imayoshi asked quietly. "That I only invited you here for sex?"

It was _not_ the time for a confession but Imayoshi didn't want Hanamiya to think so lowly of himself. He could get away with saying Hanamiya brought more to his life, that Hanamiya was a breath of fresh air, that he was going stir crazy without the other being here.

Hanamiya snorted, hooking a leg under Imayoshi's and forcibly switching their positions. His hair splayed out on Imayoshi's pillow, dark against white linen. Imayoshi leaned over him, slipping off his glasses and slowly blinking as he took in the scene under him.

"Well?" Imayoshi pressed.

"Well what?" Hanamiya retorted, hand coming up to card through Imayoshi's hair, trying to tug him down into another hungry kiss. "Yeah okay, when you asked if I wanted to stay over, of course I assumed it was just to satisfy your horny ass."

Imayoshi allowed Hanamiya to tug him down, capturing his lips in a sloppy fashion. He let the reply hang in the air for a while as he indulged Hanamiya in making out until he was breathless. Hands trailed down his chest as Hanamiya sought to move things along, tugging on his shirt demandingly. He complied, stripping the garment off and tossing it to the floor, enjoying how Hanamiya's eyes widened slightly.

"Damn...you're still hot as fuck." Hanamiya breathed.

Imayoshi hummed in amusement, shifting slightly so he was level with Hanamiya's chest as he moved a hand underneath the hem of his shirt. Slowly, he pushed the shirt up, kissing the newly exposed skin as he did so. Small chuckles were muffled behind Hanamiya's hand as Imayoshi reached his chest, avoiding his nipples and nuzzling his neck instead. Once Hanamiya's shirt was discarded, Imayoshi gently pushed him to lie down and stay still as he returned to leaving light kisses all over his chest.

"Well, let's switch things up then." Imayoshi finally replied to Hanamiya's statement. "Tonight's about you and your pleasure."

Hanamiya opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. A light blush came over his cheeks as Imayoshi smiled at him, no trace of trickery in his expression. Hanamiya wasn't sure what to make of the situation, usually their rendezvous were anything but slow and sweet, they were usually both selfish about getting pleasure from each other. He wasn't going to _not_ accept this new turn of events, but he was damn sure he was going to question it later.

"Okay, if you say so." He remarked with a slight smirk. "You better make me see stars then."

Imayoshi snorted, nuzzling Hanamiya's neck, grazing sensitive skin with his teeth. "Oh I intend to, don't you worry Makoto." He whispered.

Before Hanamiya could verbally reply, he found his lips being stolen by Imayoshi in a bruising kiss, biting on his lower lip as a hand held his jaw in place. A knee pressed against the apex of his legs, rubbing against his crotch and drawing a moan from him. Imayoshi hummed against his lips, smirking as the hand moved from his jaw and slipped between them. The fly on Hanamiya's pants was undone with expert precision, Imayoshi's actions were confident as he watched Hanamiya's pupils shift with each sensation, knowing how and where to touch his lover to turn Hanamiya into a needy mess.

"Fuck..." Hanamiya breathed as he felt Imayoshi's hand wrap around his cock. "Fuck I've missed this."

Imayoshi smirked, planting a chaste kiss on Hanamiya's lips before leaning closer to bite on his earlobe. "I've missed you too."

There was a slight snort from Hanamiya as he rocked his hips up to encourage Imayoshi to get on with it. The hand wrapped around his cock began moving slowly. Even the simplest of touches were refreshing to Hanamiya's touch-starved body. He bit on his lip as Imayoshi moved to bite and suck hickeys onto his neck, branding him, giving him marks to show off to his team; to remind them that he was sleeping with the devil incarnate himself.

"Fuck, okay Shoi, get me out of these fucking clothes." Hanamiya abruptly shoved Imayoshi away. "it's too hot."

There was a pause as Hanamiya shuffled out of his pants and boxers, letting out a loud sigh of relief as he flopped back down on the bed and found Imayoshi caging him against the sheets again. He raised an eyebrow as he noted Imayoshi hadn't stripped yet, but it was short-lived as Imayoshi's hand returned to his cock. Lips parted in a gasp as Imayoshi's grip tightened, as he flicked his wrist, as he stroked Hanamiya from base to tip, teasing him with fleeting touches and varied pressure.

Having sex with Hanamiya meant one had to be one their toes, to be willing to play with boundaries. It was something Imayoshi was always able to do with ease; given his play-style and personality in general. However it also required a lot of trust, trust that hadn't come too easily with the duo, but a trust that had been built up over many nights. In a way, Imayoshi could see a serious relationship as the next logical step for them.

"How does that feel?" Imayoshi purred in Hanamiya's ear as he slowly pulled his hand away and wiped it on the bed sheets. Shallow, quick breaths were passing through Hanamiya’s lips, his eyes lidded as Imayoshi pulled back slightly.

"You're teasing me." Hanamiya murmured with a small smirk. "You bastard."

Imayoshi pressed his lips to Hanamiya's, letting Hanamiya's tongue dart into his mouth daringly before breaking away. He pressed open-mouthed kisses to Hanamiya's jawline, then his neck, then his collarbone. Leaving a trail of kisses down Hanamiya's chest without hesitating. A hand carded through Imayoshi's hair, calm at first but clenching as he got closer to Hanamiya's cock. Imayoshi smirked as he hovered over Hanamiya's hipbone, glancing up through his fringe to watch the rapid rising and falling of the other's chest.

Without a word, Imayoshi moved to wrap his lips around the head of Hanamiya's cock. A low moan escaped Hanamiya, his hips rocking up momentarily. The moans only got louder as Imayoshi continued working his mouth around the other's cock. The hand in his hair clenched and tugged him away abruptly.

"I'm gonna cum too soon if you--" Hanamiya uttered, tossing his head from side to side as he breathed heavily.

"Then cum," Imayoshi remarked, coaxing Hanamiya to let go of his hair and intertwining their fingers instead. "cum down my throat Makoto, you know I can handle it."

Hanamiya snorted. "You're being really fucking annoying right now." He huffed, a smirk plastered across his face. "You asshole, stop being so nice, it doesn't suit you."

Imayoshi raised an eyebrow. "If that's the case..." He unceremoniously flipped Hanamiya over onto his stomach, caging him against the bed and biting at his shoulder. "How does this feel?"

"Quit acting like this is the first time we're banging and fuck my brains out." Hanamiya grumbled.

It became pretty obvious to Imayoshi that this more 'loving' approach to sex wasn't going to work. He let out small sigh, reaching for his bedside drawer and finding the bottle of lube he kept there. He was all too happy to oblige to Hanamiya's demand. The cool, sticky lube coming into contact with heated skin made Hanamiya gasp. Gasps melted into moans as Imayoshi's fingertip rubbed at his entrance. Imayoshi didn't hesitate to abruptly slide a single digit into his lover, Hanamiya moaned loudly in response.

"Fuck Shoi..."

"More?"

"Yes, yes you bastard."

A second finger was added, Imayoshi chewed on his bottom lip as his pants started feeling too tight. Watching Hanamiya's hips swaying with each shallow thrust of his fingers only heightened the anticipation. Imayoshi scissored his fingers as he pressed deeper, enjoying the small high-pitched whimper from Hanamiya as he rubbed against his inner walls.

As much as Imayoshi wanted to tease, he had said tonight was about Hanamiya's pleasure. He pulled his fingers out and finally unfastened his belt, breathing a small sigh of relief as he stepped out of his pants and boxers. There was little hesitation as he returned to his kneeling position, spreading Hanamiya's asscheeks wider and smearing some of the leftover lube around his entrance. Pressing into Hanamiya, he bit his bottom lip and let out a heavy sigh.

It had been a while, he had forgotten how tight the other felt.

"Nngh..." Hanamiya murmured, swaying his hips slightly as Imayoshi's thrusts began slow and shallow.

He seemed strangely relaxed, less inclined to demand things of Imayoshi immediately like usual. What began as a slow, more intimate moment soon made way for more primal movements as Imayoshi drove deeper, bottoming out abruptly. Hanamiya let out a loud gasp as he felt his hips being pulled back. He followed Imayoshi's lead, pressing his hips back and fucking himself on Imayoshi's cock to get what he wanted.

Hanamiya was still on edge from the earlier teasing, so it came as no surprise to him that it didn't take much for Imayoshi to have him cumming over the bed sheets. He flopped forward as Imayoshi's pace faltered, the sensation of being filled overwhelmed him a second time. It was a strangely familiar sensation, one he was content with by now.

Post sex cuddling was not a thing in Hanamiya's mind. He found the idea gross; cuddling with someone whilst covered in sweat and drying cum. Usually they took turns using the shower before flopping down again on the bed and passing out from exhaustion, but that day seemed different.

"So what's gotten into you?" Hanamiya mumbled as Imayoshi sat on the edge of his bed drinking a bottle of water.

"Hm?" Imayoshi tossed the empty bottle towards the bin, not caring where it ended up at that moment. "What do you mean?"

"This whole...you being a caring son of a bitch." Hanamiya gestured to the air from where he remained led on the bed.

Imayoshi didn't know whether to laugh or not. He slipped his glasses back on as he mulled over a reply. Hanamiya wasn't going to let him shrug the question off easily, he had to come up with something that wasn't an obvious lie but likewise, wasn't a full-on confession. After all, Imayoshi could tell Hanamiya wasn't ready for him suggesting anything crazy like commitment.

"I just felt like paying more attention to you." Imayoshi replied finally. "Given that we hardly see each other nowadays, I wanted to focus entirely on you whilst we're together."

Hanamiya wrinkled his nose. "...right."

"Evidently, it wasn't appreciated." Imayoshi remarked, half-joking.

"I mean--I'm not _used_ to that kind of attention and you know it." Hanamiya scoffed, sitting up and combing his hair with his fingers. "Could've told me that from the start, weirdo."

"Would you have let me though?" Imayoshi knew this was only going to result in him playing with fire, but getting burnt was worth it for the truth.

Hanamiya met his gaze, there was a guarded expression pooling in the forest green eyes. Uncertainly mixing with something Imayoshi couldn't pinpoint.

"Maybe, depends if it's just another one of your sick games." Hanamiya replied evenly, a veil of disgust in his tone. "I know how much you love fucking with people."

Imayoshi could see what the problem was now.

He smiled slightly.

"Well, what if I prove it's not a game? That I'm taking this seriously?"

The guarded gaze remained unchanged as Hanamiya snorted. "Then maybe I'd let you give me that kind of attention."

It seemed the gauntlet had been thrown down; prove that he was serious about a conventional relationship, that it wasn't a 'game' or anything remotely similar and Hanamiya _might_ accept him. Or at least be willing to try.

 

* * *

 

 

Making more time to see Hanamiya over the following months was harder than Imayoshi thought it would be. On more than one occasion did he think he'd have to cancel due to last minute assignments springing up, cancelling was out of the question for him now he had made his intentions more clear. He couldn't let Hanamiya slip away from him. As many assignments as he was clearing, as many days were passing. Hanamiya's graduation from high school was quickly rolling around as winter took hold of Tokyo. Imayoshi had wanted to ask what the other's plans were for afterwards, but part of him feared the answer.

Hanamiya was smart. He was smart enough to get into any of the major colleges, including Tokyo, but the likes of Osaka and Kyoto were alluring in their own right. Imayoshi didn't want to imagine trying to keep a relationship - no matter how serious - alive if Hanamiya ended up on the western side of the country.

Whilst they spent the Christmas period with their families, Hanamiya asked if Imayoshi wanted to spend new year's eve watching movies and 'wasting away the final moments of the year'. Imayoshi had laughed as Hanamiya went on a fifteen minute rant about how the entire holiday seemed stupid because _'It's just like any other month end, why do people need to spout all this new year new me bullshit'_ and how it was nearly the coldest time of the year so _'who who'd wanna stand outside watching fireworks anyway?'_.

Once he had managed to get a word in edgeways, Imayoshi agreed he'd provide the snacks for the movie night and he'd see Hanamiya the following week.

There was something else on his mind however as he walked around the shopping mall on December 31st; it was Hanamiya's birthday twelve days after new year’s eve. There was no way Imayoshi would get time away from his manic assignment deadlines to see Hanamiya, so he had to think ahead.

The idea came to him as he passed by the store they had visited in the summer, with Halloween long gone there were no sign of the decorations in the main window, however he had a small inkling that he should look anyway. He found the part of the store that held all the reduced products that they were desperate to sell, even if it was for a fraction of the original price. He found himself smiling as he looked over the Halloween decorations and found something he deemed appropriate.

The store clerk gave him a puzzled look when he asked for it to be gift wrapped with birthday paper, but he simply shrugged it off. They didn't need to know why he was getting Hanamiya a Halloween themed present.

Once he had the gift, he quickly collected the snacks - including ice cream - and made his way to the Hanamiya household, keeping the wrapped gift hidden in his jacket pocket and away from Hanamiya's childishly curious gaze when the door was ripped open at great speed.

"Did you get it?" Hanamiya asked, eyes lighting up as he saw the tub of ice cream. "Fuck Shoichi, I've got you well trained." He grinned.

"I mean, I _happened_ to be passing  the store." Imayoshi sighed, handing the large tub of ice cream to Hanamiya before unpacking the rest of the chocolatey snacks that would be long gone by midnight. He felt his chest tighten a little as he watched the pure joy on Hanamiya's face as he immediately dug into the ice cream. "Hey, don't eat it all before the movie starts."

Hanamiya pouted at him almost comically as Imayoshi slipped off his jacket. "Fine. Hurry up then!"

Imayoshi rolled his eyes but laughed as Hanamiya took his hand and tugged him into the small living room where the TV was already on. The title screen of the film he had picked was illuminating the room, Imayoshi wasn't even surprised.

"Spiderman?" He remarked, sitting on the couch and letting Hanamiya snuggle up to him in an almost cat-like fashion.

"Fuck yeah, problem?" Hanamiya replied, propping his shoulders up against Imayoshi's thigh so he could keep eating the ice cream as they watched the film.

"Of course not, you're just a little predictable." Imayoshi hummed, ruffling Hanamiya's hair as the film's opening credits began rolling. He found his attention was divided a little as the film played out, his fingers idly played with Hanamiya's hair, running the strands between his fingers. He mindlessly started braiding a section of Hanamiya's hair as the movie continued, Hanamiya didn't react, eyes focused on the fast-paced action on screen.

Before long, Imayoshi's entire attention was on Hanamiya's hair. He gently swept Hanamiya's hair back so he could braid all of it together, finding it surprising when Hanamiya tilted his head accordingly to allow him to continue. He wasn't a pro at hair braiding, but having a little sister had its advantages, he had watched her tie her hair in all sorts of fashions for various occasions and had a vague idea how to do a simple braid. It kept his hands busy and his mind from wandering too far.

"Having fun?" Hanamiya remarked as Imayoshi finally stopped, letting the hair braid fall into place against his thigh as Hanamiya remained sat in the same position the entire film.

"I...yes?" Imayoshi offered. "Sorry, I got distracted."

Hanamiya snorted, sitting up properly and reaching around to feel the braid for himself. "Hm, not bad."

It was still a few hours before midnight, meaning they had time for at least one more film. Imayoshi suggested they watch another action-esque film, but Hanamiya had other ideas.

"You're sure about that?" Imayoshi found himself asking as Hanamiya waved the copy of IT at him. "A horror film?"

"Are you scared of a clown?" Hanamiya teased, slotting the DVD into the player. "Don’t worry Shoi, I can protect you."

Imayoshi wasn't _scared_ of clowns. He just didn't like them a whole lot. Nevertheless, he allowed Hanamiya to play the film, even turning out the lights before Hanamiya snuggled up to him, resting his head on Imayoshi's shoulder. It would surprise most people to know Imayoshi wasn't a huge fan of horror films, the western ones, in general, were overly reliant on jump-scares and he didn't appreciate being startled a whole lot, the Asian horror films were equally horrifying but preyed on psychological fears instead. It hadn't been helped by his sister sneaking into his room once and scaring him awake after a Halloween party, still in full costume.

Regardless of where they came from, Imayoshi wasn't a fan of horror films, but Hanamiya was _very_ into them.

He tried not to let the movie draw him in, he chewed on his lip as Hanamiya relaxed against him. There was nothing to distract him from the film, nothing to stop him watching the clown's eyes peering out of the storm drain at him.

"You should probably relax." Hanamiya whispered, spooking Imayoshi slightly.

"Relax? I am relaxed." Imayoshi replied.

Hanamiya laughed. "Your shoulder is stiffer than a board."

"Is not."

Hanamiya sat up straight, the film still playing in the background as he gave Imayoshi a 'bitch really?' look. Imayoshi tried to play off how sore his shoulder was beginning to feel now that attention had been drawn to it.

"It's just a film Shoi." Hanamiya teased, poking Imayoshi in the side, the only part he knew Imayoshi was ticklish.

The other startled slightly as he was poked, reacting on instinct much to Hanamiya's delight as he continued poking Imayoshi's side, getting small muffled chuckles from the other as he tried to suppress his reactions. He was succeeding until Hanamiya descended on him with both hands poking and tickling his sides.  The film was forgotten about as Imayoshi tried to fend off Hanamiya's attack, laughing so hard his stomach hurt. Hanamiya didn't relent even when he had Imayoshi sprawled out on the couch under him trying to capture his hands and stop the tickling.

"Makoto--" Imayoshi spluttered between laughs. "Please no!"

"Hmm?" Hanamiya coyly replied, letting Imayoshi's fingers link with his and pause the merciless attack. "Do you yield?"

"I didn't do anything!" Imayoshi protested as he caught his breath back, his glasses had been knocked askew meaning his view of Hanamiya's face was a little blurred. Not that it mattered because even without his glasses, he knew Hanamiya was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"If you say so." Hanamiya leaned closer to Imayoshi, the few strands of hair that hadn't been braided falling to frame his face and tickling Imayoshi's cheeks. All that was holding Hanamiya up was Imayoshi's hands tightly clasping his and bearing most of his weight.

"I do." Imayoshi could feel Hanamiya's warm breath across his lips. Slowly, he tilted his face up a little, enough to slowly brush their lips against each other. The flicking light of the TV screen reflected in Hanamiya's eyes and cast a somewhat eerie glow on the rise of his cheekbone. Imayoshi wanted to reach up and run his thumb across the smooth skin.

They remained silent, the ongoing film now mere background noise as Hanamiya regarded Imayoshi with an almost tender expression. He leaned forward ever so slightly, eyes slipping shut as he released Imayoshi's hands in favour of placing them either side of the other's head on the couch. Deepening the slow kiss, he felt a hand move around him before cupping his face. Noses bumped against one another, prompting Hanamiya to open his eyes slightly, he noted Imayoshi's glasses were gone as he smiled into the kiss.

It felt different to normal. There was no sense of urgency in either of their actions as Hanamiya dared to slip his tongue into Imayoshi's mouth. Instead of it turning into one of their usual hot and messy make out sessions, it remained slow and calm. Imayoshi gently pushed Hanamiya back, coaxing him to let him sit up before hands came up and held Hanamiya's face close, thumbs running over the rise of his cheekbones as soft lips met again.

Hanamiya didn't know what to do with his hands. He didn't know what to make of the situation itself. He was used to the purely sexual course they had been chartered on all this time. He wasn't used to slow and sensual. He didn't know Imayoshi was truly capable of it.

He put his hands on Imayoshi's chest and slowly pushed him back, his breathing was ragged, his head spinning slightly from the whirlwind of emotions and thoughts he was experiencing.

"Uhm..." Imayoshi was the first to speak. "Makoto--"

"Don't." Hanamiya cut in, his face felt far too warm. "I'll be right back."

He all but bolted from the couch, locking himself in the bathroom and leaning against the door with a sigh. In a way he somewhat had himself to blame, he hadn't told Imayoshi anything about how he felt, but he also hadn't anticipated it feeling so _natural_.

He was a creature of habit, and when new, crazy things happened to him, he never really knew how to handle them. He was painfully aware of the ache in his chest as his thoughts raced. They had spent so many nights together that it seemed stupid for him to be so caught up on the moment they just shared. They had known each other for years, spent match after match sneaking around their team-mates, harassed each other over text and social media, Hanamiya had even broken Imayoshi's glasses on one occasion during a fight they wound up in over a passing remark about intelligence. They were alike in so many ways but so different at the same time.

All of that had somehow culminated into this ache in his chest, the ache that had reared its head after the summer, after he had to begin making preparations to graduate. College exams beckoned him, his future beckoned him.

Did that future feature Imayoshi by his side still? They had been a constant in each other's lives since middle school, as rivals, lovers, unlikely friends. In a way Hanamiya couldn't see himself without Imayoshi. His team-mates were all on their own paths, he had never felt drawn to them like he felt drawn to his lover. There was a sense of security about him, a grounding that Hanamiya almost ached for.

So why was he so reluctant to accept it?

Hanamiya rubbed his face, fingertips lingering over his lips as he thought. He couldn't walk back out there and act like none of this had happened, he couldn't act like he didn't know Imayoshi had some serious feelings for him, like there wasn't something between them beyond the sex.

With a heavy sigh, he turned and opened the door. The glow of the TV screen illuminated the living room, Hanamiya didn't quite expect to walk in and find Imayoshi with his jacket on and rummaging around in the pockets.

"You're not leaving are you?" Hanamiya blurted out, catching Imayoshi off guard. He was caught between kicking up a fuss and demanding the other stayed, and letting him walk out anyway.

"No." Imayoshi replied quietly. He seemed a far cry from the smooth-talking captain Hanamiya knew, it was odd but in a way, expected. "I just needed to get something from my pocket."

Hanamiya cautiously stepped closer, curious but fully expecting it to be nothing important. Imayoshi's hand had frozen in his pocket, watching Hanamiya's reaction closely. Once the other had bolted from the room, he thought he had blown it. He thought he had pushed too far too quickly. He had been prepared to leave as soon as Hanamiya had recomposed himself enough.

"What is it?" Hanamiya asked, folding his arms across his chest as they stood in the dimly lit room.

Imayoshi smiled. "Well, uh I'm going to be busy the next few weeks getting my final project done, so I...I won't be able to see you on your birthday."  He slowly withdrew his hand, revealing the thin package wrapped in dark blue paper. "So I thought I'd get you a gift now."

The wide-eyed expression Hanamiya was giving him told Imayoshi that the other hadn't been expecting it. Likewise, it didn't yield any clues in whether this was all being received well or not.

"Oh." Hanamiya cleared his throat as he accepted the gift. "Uh, thanks I guess."

Imayoshi shrugged. "It's nothing special, I just saw it and thought of you really--"

Hanamiya tore the paper off, biting his bottom lip as he processed what he was holding. A small smile spread across his face as his eyes flickered over the cartoonish depiction of a ghoulish spider. He shuffled through the different prints, his smile growing a little wider each time. Imayoshi didn't realise how nervous he had been until Hanamiya met his gaze and he felt the weight lift from his shoulders.

"They're pretty cool." Hanamiya remarked, his air of confidence back as Imayoshi let out a small sigh of relief. "Thanks Shoi."

Imayoshi didn't quite expect Hanamiya to punch his shoulder in 'thanks', but when Hanamiya laughed at his shocked expression, he couldn't help but laugh too. The distant crackle of fireworks reminded them that it was new year’s eve, that they had wasted most of the evening already. Hanamiya snorted as he peered out of the window to see the bright colours exploding in the sky.

"I'll go put these in my room," He gestured to the art prints "and then uh, I guess we find something else to watch?"

Imayoshi hummed in thought, nodding as Hanamiya left briefly. He considered what else there was to do so close to midnight, knowing full well that Hanamiya wasn’t one to go and enjoy elaborate fireworks displays. He watched the scene outside the window, there was a fair amount of people walking around, he wondered if there was a local festival nearby or a shrine that people were eager to visit.

Come to think of it, he hadn't visited a shrine in a while, and he did have some important exams that year, as did Hanamiya.

"Uh-oh, that's your 'I've had a genius idea to cause someone misfortune' look." Hanamiya remarked as he re-entered the room.

Imayoshi laughed. "No, quite the opposite actually."

A crooked eyebrow prompted Imayoshi to elaborate, first asking if there was a shrine nearby accepting hatsumode visitors and then broaching the idea that they pay the shrine a visit given how important the coming year was for them.

"I guess it can't hurt to have the gods' favour, probably gonna need them to have a hope in hell in getting into college." Hanamiya sighed. "Plus, I guess it might be fun?" Hanamiya clasped his hands behind his head. "This year is gonna kick my ass."

"All the better reason to go then." Imayoshi smiled. "You said there was a small local shrine yeah?"

Hanamiya nodded. "There'll be one or two stalls offering lucky charms probably, not nearly the huge crowds that'll be inner Tokyo tonight."

"Sounds quaint." Imayoshi hummed, "shall we go then?"

Hanamiya wrinkled his nose, checking the time on his phone first before nodding. Neither of them had a kimono to hand, but considering just how local the shrine was, Hanamiya deemed it wasn't the end of the world. He considered the fact they were even going at all when in the past he had shrugged it off as superstition was good enough for the deity in power.

The wind was cold as they stepped out into Hanamiya's neighbourhood. They didn't speak as Hanamiya took the lead down the narrow streets, following the steady stream of people. Imayoshi wasn't sure if Hanamiya was genuinely interested in wishing for good fortune or whether the roller-coaster of emotions they'd been through that evening had gotten the better of him and he just wanted out.

Fireworks were going off around them in the sky, bright reds, greens and yellows painting the night sky as they walked. A stone torii came into view on the pathway, two lanterns framed it and illuminated the steps leading up to the main building of the shrine. True to what Hanamiya said, there were a few stands offering lucky charms, food and fortunes.

Imayoshi had been to his local shrine plenty of times, yet he gathered despite being so close to one, Hanamiya hadn't been nearly as many. He didn't need to say anything, he simply beckoned Hanamiya to follow his lead; first washing their hands before joining the line to enter the main building to pray for good fortune. There was a lot of chatter around them filling the silence between them. Hanamiya wasn't being nearly as loud and headstrong as usual, probably due to how unfamiliar it all felt and how an hour ago they were making out on his couch -- hardly a spiritual deed.

"So what are you gonna wish for?" Hanamiya asked abruptly as the line shifted forward. "Like, anything in particular?"

Imayoshi adjusted his glasses as he thought. "Well, I want to pass my yearly exams, good health and prosperity for my family is always a good shout."

There was a murmur of agreement from Hanamiya. "Yeah, yeah."

As he found himself at the front of the line, Hanamiya fished out a five-yen coin to make his offering to the gods. He made a wish for good health for him and his mother, for luck on his attempts to get into college, for general prosperity. As an afterthought, he wished that regardless of everything else, that Imayoshi would somehow remain in his life, especially if he ended up in a different city.

He wasn't sure if he believed in all the gods and goddesses, but he wanted to believe that all this wishing did something.

He found Imayoshi afterwards near one of the stalls offering fortunes and good luck charms. The brightly coloured trinkets hung around the vendor, all proclaiming to offer different spiritual boosts for different people. Hanamiya had never paid much attention to them, but Imayoshi seemed to be deep in thought about them all.

"Thinking of getting one?"

"Yeah, can't quite decide if I should go for a general success one or one specifically for my studies." Imayoshi hummed.

Hanamiya wrinkled his nose. "Well, get one now for success and then you can get one for your exams later."

There was a small smile on Imayoshi's face as he nodded slightly. "That's a good idea, are you getting one?"

"Nah, I'll get one for the exam season, that's the only place I need luck this year." He let out a nervous laugh, expecting Imayoshi to make a joke out of it. Instead Imayoshi nodded in understanding and continued with his own purchase, accepting the envelope with his charm inside and pocketing it.

Hanamiya was ready to leave, or at least step away from the stall, but Imayoshi took an interest in the fortunes on offer for a mere hundred yen. He had to admit it did pique his interest slightly, even if he wasn't a wholly spiritual person, he had read enough fantasy novels to be curious about what his supposed destiny had in store.

"You getting one?" He asked Imayoshi as he watched the 100¥ coin being dug out of Imayoshi's wallet.

"Yeah, might as well." Imayoshi smiled. "You?"

Hanamiya nodded, even if he didn't believe in it whole-heartedly, it could be a laugh. They both received the rolled up pieces of paper, Hanamiya turned away from Imayoshi to read his, somewhat fearing he was about to be cursed to the end of the earth and back, that his year ahead was going to be miserable and full of shit.

Instead, he got a rather uplifting surprise; he was destined to succeed in his studies, to make new friends, to settle old rivalries and make great progress with his relationship.

It didn't exactly take much thought to pinpoint what relationship the piece of spiritual paper was referring to.

"Huh." He remarked as he re-rolled the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. "So what did yours say?"

Imayoshi hummed, still deep in thought as he read his over again. "It's going to be a good year for me apparently." He smiled, "and you?"

Hanamiya snorted. "Eh, so-so." He shrugged, Imayoshi didn't need to know everything. "Apparently my studies are going to go well."

"Oh? What are your plans for college anyway? I never thought to ask." Imayoshi pocketed his own fortune and began walking back towards the entrance of the shrine.

Hanamiya somewhat regretted mentioning it. "Uh, well--" He rubbed the back of his head, his hair was still in a braid from earlier and caught on his fingers slightly. "I applied to Tokyo, my entrance exam is in March...I applied to Kyoto on a whim but I think I'll end up fucking that up somehow."

"Nah, you're smart enough for Kyoto." Imayoshi remarked. "And you've got Tokyo in the bag, their entrance exam is quite typical. And If _I_ can get in, you can too."

The comment actually made Hanamiya pause.

"Did you just imply that I'm smarter than you?" He said, jabbing Imayoshi in the side.

"... _well_ " Imayoshi seemed to realise something. "if you're being specific about it--"

"Oh hell no, you're not weaselling out of this one." Hanamiya shoved him playfully. "You just implied I'm smarter than _you_."

Imayoshi laughed, shoving Hanamiya back as they continued walking along the pathway back to the other's house. It was getting perilously close to midnight as they passed more shrine-goers. His fortune rattled around in his mind as Hanamiya continued teasing him for his word choice, the original conversation topic long forgotten.

"Hold up," Hanamiya stopped dead in his tracks and faced Imayoshi. "there's no way you'd just admit I’m smarter than you. What's your game here?"

If he was being unashamedly honest, Imayoshi really did mean that he thought Hanamiya was more academically smarter than him. However, Hanamiya was going to immediately call bullshit and not accept it.

So Imayoshi was going to have to get Hanamiya to _prove_ he's smarter.

"Okay, how about you prove that you're smarter than me?" Imayoshi asked, avoiding the question by asking one himself.

"Go on." Hanamiya smirked.

"A game of chess, the good old battle of wits between two players."

Hanamiya pouted slightly, narrowing his eyes as he tried to see through Imayoshi's actions to the _real_ intentions. Finding none, he nodded with a grin.

"You're on."

And that was how they ended up ringing in the new year being sat on Hanamiya's bedroom floor, a chessboard between them, black and white pieces carefully engaged in a mind-numbing game of cat and mouse. They were engrossed in the game from the get-go, barely registering the fireworks outside and the loud talking of partying neighbours.

A comfortable silence fell between them, only broken by small hums of thought, the occasional smirk that made way for a chuckle or amused sigh. Glances were exchanged across the board, guarding the moves planned out but open to each other. Piece by piece, move by move, the game continued for what felt like hours. Imayoshi wasn't foolish enough to fully let Hanamiya win, he played to win regardless of the stakes, it just so happened that Hanamiya outplayed him.

"Checkmate." Hanamiya stated with a smug grin. "Huh, so maybe I am smarter than you."

Imayoshi shrugged. "So you should have little to worry about with your entrance exams."

They remained sat on the floor, Hanamiya regarding Imayoshi with a smug grin still as he pondered what to do now. Neither of them were tired enough to sleep, but likewise he didn't feel like demanding sex. He began idly resetting the board, Imayoshi watching him with an amused expression.

"How about a rematch?" Imayoshi asked.

Hanamiya grinned. "Thought you'd never ask, but I doubt you'll win."

"We'll see about that."


	2. Chapter 2

_When I look at my life_  
_How the pieces fall into place_  
_It just wouldn't rhyme without you_  
  
_When I see how my path_  
_Seemed to end up before your face_  
  
_The state of my heart_  
_The place where we are_  
_Was written in the stars_

* * *

 

 

The flurry of activity that was exam season distracted Imayoshi from all other matters. His professors were slave drivers, demanding proof that everyone was studying by surprising them with tests right before the big exams. Imayoshi found himself living half his life in a state of studying, the other half divided between sleep and eating.

One welcome distraction from the hours of reading and writing were the sporadic texts from Hanamiya complaining about every little thing that annoyed him. From his team, his mother, the late train to school, the overdue library book he had lost somewhere in his room and finally the exams themselves that were bearing down on him.

It had slipped into their routine, amongst the early morning alarms and the late night studying, to phone one another to make sure neither of them was going too stir crazy over it all. Whilst those calls came about because of stress, Imayoshi found himself smiling throughout their duration regardless of the topic.

As was the case that early March afternoon.

_"I don't even get why my entrance exam included comprehension of literature, if I wanted to analyse the books I read, I'd be going for a lit major, not a science one."_

Imayoshi snorted, twirling his pen around as his page of notes remained largely empty of words.

"Well, maybe there'll be a chemical named after some famous author one day and that chemical will behave like their most well-known character."

 _"That's a load of bullshit and you know it!"_ Hanamiya's laugh rang through the phone, making the smile on Imayoshi's face widen.

"That chemical could be used in a crime and the only way you'll know how it works is because you were able to analyse its behaviour--"

 _"It's a chemical, not a dog, idiot."_ The laughter continued. _"Would you characterise math formulae like that? No! So why the hell do I need to be tested on it?"_

"Which college was this again?"

_"Kyoto."_

"Ah, explains a lot. They like having all-rounders, students who can look outside the box." Imayoshi leaned back in his chair, deciding note-taking could wait a little longer.

_"Oh I can think outside the box, lemme just call up Charles Dickins and ask him how that Scrooge guy fits in with my theory for the equivalent exchange of particle physics."_

Imayoshi hummed. "One could argue that the neurons in Dickens' brain created electrical impulses and transferred into kinetic energy which helped his hand write the ink on the page -- bringing Scrooge to life and thus into existence."

There was a pause before a muffed laugh could be heard. The muffled laugh turned into a hysterical howl as Hanamiya tried to figure out where to tell Imayoshi that his line of thinking was crazy.

 _"You're...you're something else Shoi."_ Hanamiya sighed. _"Tokyo's entrance exam seems easy in comparison"_

"Oh? Well it is more focused on the subjects you're majoring in. But it's still meant to test you."

A snort of arrogance came over the phone. _"I got it Shoi, Tokyo's gonna have a new record high score."_

It seemed to Imayoshi that regardless of how the Kyoto exam went, Hanamiya was confident he'd find Tokyo's exam easy. The confidence reminded Imayoshi of the Hanamiya he used to play basketball against, of the cocky captain who didn't let anything stop him getting what he wanted. Such confidence hid a more fragile soul underneath, one Imayoshi had seen a few times since they started seeing each other more often. He did wonder what would happen if the Tokyo exam didn't go according to plan and how Hanamiya would react but more importantly; how _he_ would react.

Other than his mother, Imayoshi was really all Hanamiya had now. The uncrowned kings were never friendly with him, his soon-to-be ex-team-mates were barely friends with him, there were no other childhood friends to speak of either. If it all went south, Imayoshi would be the one who'd have to pick Hanamiya up and dust him off.

And south, it did go.

Imayoshi was on his way home from buying groceries when his phone buzzed violently in his pocket. He answered without much thought as to what day of the week it was and why anyone was even calling him. The ragged breathing on the other end made his attention drift from the quiet walkway across campus and firmly focus on the person on the other end.

"Makoto?"

"Shoichi." Hanamiya's quiet voice didn't suit him, it made Imayoshi's stomach turn. "I need to talk to you. I..." he trailed off, letting out a long, ragged breath. "I just need you."

Imayoshi stopped in his tracks. "Where are you?"

"Outside the admin building of Tokyo."

Imayoshi's stomach stopped doing flips and sunk like a rock in water. It was March 14th. The day of Hanamiya's entrance exam.

"I'll be there in ten."

Many thoughts raced through Imayoshi's mind as he jogged to his apartment to drop off his groceries and then set off to find Hanamiya. He hadn't heard Hanamiya so quiet before, so unsure of himself. It unsettled him and made his worst fears come to mind as he walked the tree-lined pathway across the main square of the campus. The cherry blossoms were blooming slightly late that year, a sign of the cold weather they had experienced over the harsh winter having a lasting impact.

The large red brick building loomed as he rounded the corner, the clock tower stood out in the skyline. He remembered when he had to attend his entrance exam a year prior, how nervous he felt once he saw the imposing building. His entire future had rested on how well he performed inside. It wasn't a pleasant feeling to recall.

He spotted Hanamiya hovering by the driveway, chewing on his bottom lip as he cast his eyes around. Imayoshi met his gaze and headed over without hesitating.

"Hey, what's going on?" He asked as Hanamiya pocketed his phone and averted his gaze.

"I, uh..." Hanamiya was rarely lost for words, he rarely let his shoulders slump and fixed his gaze on the ground. "I just got out of the exam."

"Oh, and?" Imayoshi wanted to reach out and pull Hanamiya into a hug, but doing that would be implying Hanamiya needed a hug. "How did it--"

"I fucked it up." Hanamiya uttered. "I-I mean I think I did."

Imayoshi knew the feeling, he also knew Hanamiya was probably just being paranoid. "Okay, well..." He was almost at a loss, not sure how to fix this situation. "how about we grab something to eat yeah? I know some nice places nearby."

Hanamiya glanced up at him almost disbelievingly. "Uh, sure...I guess."

They walked off campus and into the bustling streets of the city. Hanamiya's gaze firmly on the sidewalk and nothing else, nearly walking into traffic twice as his thoughts took over. A hand took his, linking their fingers together firmly but with an essence of care. He squeezed the other's hand. Imayoshi led them to a slightly quieter street, squeezing Hanamiya's hand every so often in comfort, running his thumb over the other's knuckles as he hummed softly. When Hanamiya glanced up at the storefront they came to a stop at, he smiled slightly.

The neon sign detailing an ice cream sundae promised more sweet treats than he could ever want. He let Imayoshi lead him inside, the wall mounted speakers pumped out music, leather seats framed dark wooden tables. A waitress assigned them a table in the back corner - probably Imayoshi's request - before leaving them to glance over what was on offer.

"Order whatever you want." Imayoshi told him. “I’ll pay."

Hanamiya nodded, seeing no sense in arguing. When the waitress reappeared, he ordered the most over the top chocolate sundae he could, noting the small smile on Imayoshi's face. Imayoshi himself didn't order anything, merely resting his hands on the table in front of him as the waitress left them again.

"So, what happened?" Imayoshi asked.

Hanamiya shifted in his seat. "I fucked it up."

A slight nod was the first response. Imayoshi drummed his fingers on the table top, thinking how to best go about the discussion. "Okay, why do you think that?"

Hanamiya shrugged, leaning his elbows on the table, splaying his hands near Imayoshi's. "Like, it was science focused like you said, but they worded the questions all weirdly." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "It was like the test was speaking down to me, like I was a child, not a high school student about to graduate."

Their fingers brushed as Imayoshi adjusted his sitting position slightly. "Huh, I don't know why they'd do that. My test seemed normal."

Before Hanamiya could reply, the waitress arrived with his sundae; a large vase-like dish filled with slightly varying shades of chocolate ice cream topped with dark sauce and white chocolate chips. She set down two spoons with a smile and excused herself, leaving Hanamiya to immediately begin stuffing his face. Imayoshi watched passively, vaguely wondering if the test had been reworded or whether Hanamiya's anxiety had reared its head in a strange way.

"I just froze up." Hanamiya elaborated between mouthfuls. "Like for a while I didn't know what to answer half the questions _with_."

"Did you finish the exam?"

"Fuck yeah," Hanamiya looked mildly offended that Imayoshi would even suggest he didn't. "but I'm sure I fucked most of it up."

"I'm sure you didn't." Imayoshi picked up the second spoon, twirling it around as he thought. "Say, didn't you say you were going to get one of those good luck charms for your exams?"

Hanamiya wrinkled his nose before shovelling another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth and proceeding to talk regardless of how stuffed his cheeks were. "My fortune said I'd do well in my studies so I didn't see the point -- that's _if_ I believed whole-heartedly in the stars telling my future, which I don't." Hanamiya took the time to swallow before giving Imayoshi a pointed look. "Not like I can rewrite the stars by sheer willpower so why bother believing in the first place?"

The statement didn't exactly surprise Imayoshi, but he needed to inject some confidence back into Hanamiya. "You're smart Makoto."

"You keep saying that." Hanamiya uttered into the ice cream. "Doesn't mean much to be honest."

The patience that Imayoshi had been relying on to get him through most of these conversations was starting to wear thin. "So what does mean something?" He asked. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't fucking know." Hanamiya set the spoon down. "You keep _saying_ things that aren't...that make me--" he cut himself off. Imayoshi raised an eyebrow, a pause hung in the air as Hanamiya's hand hovered over the silverware again.

"Make you what?" Imayoshi asked.

"Nevermind." Hanamiya picked up the spoon again and continued eating the large sundae. Imayoshi's eyebrow remained raised in curiosity as he ate, scraping the remnants of chocolate sauce off the side of the dish, not pressing the matter as the parlour's music filled the silence between them.

"Are you saying that I'm lying when I tell you you're smart?" Imayoshi asked quietly after Hanamiya let go of the spoon, the dish now empty.

Hanamiya shrugged, averting his gaze from Imayoshi's. "I mean...no. No, we know I'm smarter than you."

Imayoshi smiled, recalling the night of chess playing where he was soundly beaten by Hanamiya far more times than he cared to admit.

"But usually people bring it up out of spite." Hanamiya continued, his eyes downcast as he rested his elbows on the table and began fidgeting with his fingers. "Like when I beat them in a match, when I see the weak points in their play-style and use them to win."

"They're blinded by their own arrogance normally." Imayoshi mirrored his posture, gently pushing the empty dish aside so he could see Hanamiya without frosted glass in the way. "You know how most players are."

There was a snort of amusement. "Yeah, which is why I see it my job to bring them crashing back to reality. You don't have to be a prodigy to be good at basketball."

Imayoshi hummed. "But aren't you yourself considered one of the Uncrowned Kings? Prodigies in your own right?"

"The key part of that title is _uncrowned_. Sure, I'm considered _good_ , but the holier-than-thou miracles are _better_. And they act like it, even now."

"Aomine was always arrogant."

"Don't get me started on them," Hanamiya shook his head. "my point is, I'm not used to someone bringing up my intelligence as a _good_ thing."

Imayoshi watched as Hanamiya's fidgeting focused on picking at a loose thread on his jacket sleeve. The furrowed eyebrows of concentration framed eyes that Imayoshi could easily get lost in, the slight frown on Hanamiya's face made the uncomfortable ache in Imayoshi's chest return. As much as he found other people's misfortune entertaining, watching Hanamiya be unconfident in talents he by all accounts he should be proud of struck a nerve.

He reached out and took Hanamiya's hands in his, squeezing them as Hanamiya finally met his gaze again.

"Well get used to it," Imayoshi remarked. "because I'm not going to change my opinion on the matter."

Hanamiya narrowed his eyes for a second before squeezing Imayoshi's hands. "Uh huh and why are you so...attentive all of a sudden?"

The question had many possible answers. Imayoshi could've used it as a way to finally come clean, but chose not to. It would've been cruel to do so on a day that had stressed Hanamiya out enough already.

"You're the one who called me Makoto." Imayoshi raised an eyebrow.

The realisation dawned on Hanamiya that it _was_ him who prompted this meetup. There was a smirk on Imayoshi's face as Hanamiya's cheeks gradually reddened.

"Well, uh--I guess that's true." Hanamiya conceded, ducking his head slightly.

At the risk of them ending up sat in silence, Imayoshi waved the waitress over and asked for the bill. Hanamiya remained quiet as he watched Imayoshi pay, allowing himself to be ushered out of the restaurant. Within a few moments of being outside, Hanamiya found his hand being taken and it wasn't because he was at risk of walking into traffic. A year ago, he would've torn his hand away in disgust, but this time he allowed it to happen.

The gentle spring breeze rustled the new leaves growing on the trees that lined the pathway, cherry blossoms were blooming overhead as they walked towards the main shopping district. Neither of them spoke as they weaved in and out of the shoppers, their fingers intertwined in a wordless gesture. The mall was busy that afternoon with the usual families out for a trip and high school students hanging out together. Hanamiya's interest was quickly fixated on the various window displays they passed; the overuse of pink, red and white colour schemes made his nose crease up.

"Something smell funny?" Imayoshi teased, squeezing Hanamiya's hand.

"No. Just all this commercial lovey-dovey shit y'know? Spend all this money on shit that doesn't matter." Hanamiya shrugged.

Imayoshi chuckled. "Think of it this way," he gestured to one store advertising their deluxe chocolates in the large window. "that'll all be on sale tomorrow."

Hanamiya smirked as he took in the bright red decorations surrounding the table showing off the generous boxes of sweet treats, each box followed the theme of both valentines and white day to a sickening degree and would be obsolete once the day passed.

"I don't see why we need to have _two_ days like this though." Hanamiya scoffed. "Like, who needs a _day_ to confess anyway? If you're too chicken to tell someone on any normal day, why the fuck would you do it on a day with all this expectation? And then if someone does confess to you, you gotta repay them? Like what the fuck?"

"Some people need that extra push." Imayoshi shrugged as he gently tugged Hanamiya away from the over-abundant chocolate displays. "And they think the stars are on their side on such a day like valentines or today."

"The stars are bullshit." Hanamiya shook his head. "My hatsumode fortune hasn't come true in the slightest, all I’ve experienced is a shit-show of stress and bad luck."

They continued weaving between the shoppers, Imayoshi noted that the number of couples they were passing was increasing. He had briefly considered doing something to mark white day, but now knowing Hanamiya's feelings on the matter had dissuaded him from pulling any stunts, not to mention the fact that Hanamiya hadn't exactly had a _good_ day so far.

That being said, he wanted to do _something_.

"What did your fortune say anyway?" Imayoshi asked. "You just told me that your studies would go well."

Hanamiya shrugged. "I forget what the wording was, but it was a _good_ one." He scoffed. "Not that it matters cause I've had the shittiest luck ever."

Imayoshi hummed in thought, eyes casting around the array of stores they were passing. The bright colours of one particular storefront caught his eye and he found himself smiling.

"Well," He tugged on Hanamiya's hand to get him to stop walking. "how about we take matters into our own hands hm?"

Hanamiya gave him a puzzled look, one that only became more obvious as Imayoshi led him towards the store. The powerful aroma of bath salts and soap attacked his senses as Imayoshi barely hesitated to enter the store.

"Why are we here?" Hanamiya muttered as the over-friendly sales assistant asked Imayoshi if she could help them with anything. Imayoshi smiled at her but declined her help, leaving them to navigate the colourful displays and chalkboard descriptions of the vast variety of products on sale.

"Because you're stressed and I want to fix that."

Hanamiya chewed on his lip in thought for a second. "Uh-huh..."

"Trust me on this one, yeah?" Imayoshi squeezed Hanamiya's hand as he started browsing the nearest display table.

The array of bottles, boxes, tubs and piles of various cosmetics was enough to confuse anyone who had no idea what they were each used for. Imayoshi internally thanked the gods for the few times he accompanied his sister into this very store and was given a crash course in what he should and shouldn't let the salesperson talk him into buying. The vibrant colours of the bath-bombs and soaps caught both their attention, but it was one of the more subtle ones that _really_ piqued Hanamiya's interest.

"This one has the Illuminati eye on it." He remarked quietly, pointing to the dark grey sphere.

"Of course you'd pick out that one out of all of them." Imayoshi teased.

"Hey, you know full well I hate all the lovey-dovey shit so _of course_ I'd see this one and think 'hell yeah that's the one I'd want'." Hanamiya pouted.

"Well you're getting it." Imayoshi let go of Hanamiya's hand and found a paper bag before promptly picking up the bath-bomb and dropping it into the bag with a smile. "Any others?"

Hanamiya raised an eyebrow but refrained from questioning it, he chewed on his bottom lip as he glanced around the stacks. His gaze honed in one a very eye-catching golden egg. He pointed to it and Imayoshi silently added it to the bag. He took longer picking a third, casting his eyes around in thought. He finally decided on a mostly white one with green specks to it, continuing to chew on his lip as Imayoshi retook his hand and intertwined their fingers once more.

After leaving the store, they made their way back to Imayoshi's apartment, stealing glances the entire walk. Imayoshi was pretty sure he saw a slight rosy tint to Hanamiya's cheeks after catching his gaze a few times. Not a word was said between them, the peaceful silence that fell was only broken by the birdsong and the ambient city noises.

"When we get back, run a hot bath." Imayoshi said, digging his keys out of his pocket.

"Since when did I take orders from you?" Hanamiya teased in response. "But okay, sure. I wanna see what this Illuminati eye does when you throw it in the bath."

Imayoshi chuckled as they entered his dorm building. "I'd never _order_ you to do anything, I know far better than that."

"Damn straight." Hanamiya smugly replied.

Within a few moments of being in the apartment, Hanamiya had made a beeline for the small bathroom and was clattering around. Imayoshi shook his head as he laughed to himself at the other's sudden enthusiasm. The sound of running water bounced off the tiled walls, steam rising as Hanamiya seemed set to make it hot enough to boil a lobster in it. Imayoshi watched from the doorway, the brown paper bag from the store in hand as Hanamiya watched the tub fill with water.

"You're gonna burn in that." Imayoshi remarked.

"Puh-lease, I like my baths hot." Hanamiya shrugged, stripping off his shirt without a care in the world.

"Yeah, hot but not _scalding_." Imayoshi set the bag down and leaned past Hanamiya to turn the faucet to the cold setting. "I'm not taking you to the hospital for third-degree burns on your ass."

Hanamiya laughed. "Fine, fine whatever." He waved dismissively as Imayoshi gave him a smug smile.

It didn't take long for the bathtub to fill up. Once the faucet was turned off Hanamiya dug out the grey bath-bomb and let it drop into the water, kneeling by the tub to watch the magic unfold. Within seconds the water began fizzing, black ripples expanded out from the sphere as it bubbled intensely, small specks of glitter sprinkled within them. A strong aroma of cinnamon began permeating in the air, only contested by the smell of oranges. It was an odd combination Imayoshi thought, but it seemed very Hanamiya-esque.

"If you come out with some edgy remark about how that water is 'blacker than your soul', I will not hesitate to dunk your head in." Hanamiya remarked as Imayoshi peered over his shoulder at the mesmerising swirls of silver glitter mixing into the water.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Imayoshi hummed. "besides we know you're the bad-boy here."

Hanamiya snorted, running his hand through the water and disturbing the formations of bubbles, the bath-bomb continued to fizz as it bobbed about, more glitter and a stronger smell of orange erupting from it. He leaned his head against the side of the tub, the warmth of the water combined with the pleasing aromas was making him feel sleepy.

"You wanna get in yet?" Imayoshi's voice roused him from the doze he was in danger of falling into. "It looks like it's about done."

Whilst the bomb had gotten smaller, it had also broken open; bright pink oils spilling from its core and mixing with the black and silver ripples. Strangely, Hanamiya thought it was a nice touch to a product that seemed to be all doom and gloom by its outer appearance. He smiled slightly as he nodded, fully expecting Imayoshi to leave him to it. He was only having a bath after all.

When Imayoshi did leave only to reappear with a towel and then remain in the bathroom, Hanamiya thought to question it, but the warmth of the water called to him. In the past, he would've found it borderline creepy for Imayoshi to watch him bathe in such a fashion, but something seemed different that day. He leaned back in the bath, feeling his tense muscles relax in the swirling water. He let out a sigh he felt he had been holding in since his disastrous exam as he let his eyes slip shut. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he tried to block out his surroundings and relax, to ignore the thoughts of the day and focus on easing the pain in his body.

The sound of a cupboard being opened made him crack an eye open to see what Imayoshi was up to. The other produced something wrapped up in a cloth and string. Curiosity got the better of Hanamiya, sitting up and making it known to Imayoshi that he wanted to know what it was.

"My sister bought me this, she said it's good for working out tense muscles." Imayoshi explained, holding up the cream coloured bar, it almost looked like a Lego brick in the way small bubbles rose from it. "I was just wondering if it was still any good."

Hanamiya raised an eyebrow. "You could test it out...on me." He chewed on his lip as Imayoshi met his gaze.

"Sure...where do you--"

Hanamiya abruptly turned around, the water swishing with the movement and kicking up the aroma of cinnamon again. "My shoulders." He stated, gesturing to the back of his neck.

After taking off his glasses so they wouldn't steam up, Imayoshi knelt down next to the bathtub, rolling up his sleeves as he used one hand to sweep Hanamiya's hair out of the way. He began with slow circular movements with the bar, gently kneading the raised bumps against Hanamiya's neck. He used his free hand to mirror the bar, pressing his thumb into toned shoulders and ease the tension, breathing slowly as he got into a rhythm with his movements, swapping which hand held the gradually melting soap and making sure not to aggravate the already sore tendons.

Soft, barely-audible moans slipped between Hanamiya's lip as his eyes fluttered shut. A faint smell of vanilla joined the mixture of scents in the air as he let his head fall forward a little more. Imayoshi's hands glided over his skin, pressing, kneading, caressing his body. His thoughts ticked over slowly, mulling over the day's events as Imayoshi barely left any part of his shoulders untouched or unlathered by the soap.

"You still awake?" Imayoshi whispered, breath tickling Hanamiya's ear.

"Mmph..." Hanamiya grunted. "Yeah?"

Imayoshi chuckled, both hands gently massaging Hanamiya's shoulders. "Just checking."

Hanamiya smiled, leaning back into Imayoshi's touch. "You're really good at this."

"Oh yeah?" Imayoshi hummed, bringing his thumbs up to lightly knead the back of Hanamiya's neck. He dared to lean his face closer brushing their cheeks against one another. "You're surprised?"

"N-No."

"Makoto...don't try to lie to me."

" _Fine_ , I'm surprised." Hanamiya laughed breathlessly. "Surprised that you're...being like this."

There was a pause as Imayoshi's hands slowed their movements. "Like what exactly?"

Hanamiya shrugged slightly. "You know, like this."

"Caring?"

"No..."

"Attentive?"

"No."

Imayoshi sighed, stilling his hands. He brushed his lips against Hanamiya's cheek. "Loving?"

Hanamiya slowly opened his eyes, the swirling silver specks in the water reminded him of the stars in the night sky; the stars that supposedly guided everyone, that were created by some all-powerful beings that he somewhat believed in. Stars that had said his year would be a good one in terms of relationship and academic success.

"Yeah." He breathed. "It's..." He trailed off, swallowing as he turned around to face Imayoshi.

They could both blame the steam coming off the still hot water for their red cheeks, for the way it felt like the air was heavy with expectation, for making Hanamiya feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Imayoshi raised an eyebrow slightly at the pause, hands resting on the side of the bathtub as Hanamiya tried to frame his lips around the words he wanted to say.

"It's what?" He dared to asked, watching the foresty depths of Hanamiya's eyes shift.

Hanamiya shook his head, grabbing Imayoshi by the shirt and pulling him into a kiss. Chapped and bitten lips met clumsily, noses bumped as Imayoshi's hands came up to cup Hanamiya's face and hold him close, even when they parted breathlessly.

"You're too fucking perfect." Hanamiya whispered. "Like you just manage to do shit that makes me feel all _ugh_ inside."

"A good 'ugh' I assume?" Imayoshi hummed, trying to keep his own emotions in check.

Hanamiya grinned, stealing Imayoshi's lips again briefly, grinning even as they kissed and felt Imayoshi's thumbs rub over his cheekbones. His chest felt like it was going to explode, he felt light-headed as he finally stopped resisting the voices in his head. If it wasn't for the need to breathe, he would've remained kissing Imayoshi for hours. The other gently pulled away, pressing a kiss to Hanamiya's forehead.

"If you're done bathing, we can continue this in a much more familiar environment." Imayoshi murmured.

He didn't need to elaborate on that, Hanamiya snorted and ran his hands through his still mainly dry hair. "Let me at least wash this, then you bet your ass we're picking that up again."

Imayoshi nodded. "Well, I won't distract you from that." He smugly replied, standing up abruptly. "Take your time by all means, don't rush on my account."

As the door closed softly behind Imayoshi Hanamiya let out a heavy sigh. He shifted so he was mostly submerged by the warm water, relishing the heat against his skin. Not wanting to allow his thoughts to dwell too much on what just happened, he was quick about washing his hair. The feeling of Imayoshi's hands lingered across his shoulder still; the ghost of soft fingertips but firm movements that had eased the knotted tension he hadn't really clocked until that afternoon. He could get used to that kind of treatment.

Silver specks of glitter swirled in the water as he hugged his knees. He knew that when he walked out of the bathroom there would be a somewhat unfamiliar situation ahead of him. He got the feeling that if they were about to have sex, it wasn't going to be the usual primal ordeal, this was going to have more innocent feelings attached to it.

Not that he was opposed to that, he was just unsure about how he was supposed to react. He had always turned his nose up at conventional romantic gestures, it wasn't really his thing and it _still_ wasn't. But being with Imayoshi didn't feel sickeningly romantic, it felt natural. He didn't feel like he was doing a 180 with his feelings, it was more like they were defining what love meant for them and only them and everyone else could go fuck themselves if they tried to interfere.

He chuckled to himself at the idea of their acquaintances even thinking it was a good idea to argue with them.

He spent a few more minutes soaking in the aromatic waters before deciding he had made Imayoshi wait long enough. Stepping out of the tub and drying off, he mulled over how long he had been holding on tightly to the feelings inside him; how he had wanted to know for sure that Imayoshi wasn't just playing him, there was always a thinly veiled accusation that Imayoshi was playing an elaborate prank on him but the veil had been torn down a little more each time they spoke, each time they saw each other. Each time they kissed under innocent circumstances and never sought to dove head first into a one night stand.

There was very little reason to get fully dressed again, so he simply slid on his boxers and towel-dried his hair. Opening the door to the rest of the apartment, he was caught off guard by the darkness, a dim glow emanated from near Imayoshi's bed and Hanamiya was ready to call him out on the unnecessary staging.

"Anyone would think this is our wedding night or something." He remarked, still in the process of drying his hair as he padded over to where Imayoshi was sat on the edge of his bed scrolling down his phone. Only the table lamp provided light in the room as Imayoshi barely reacted to Hanamiya's remark at first, merely smirking slightly.

"I'd have a bit more class than a lamp from Ikea." Imayoshi tossed his phone aside to join his glasses and met Hanamiya's gaze. "I'd at least stretch as far as tea-lights."

"You sarcastic bastard." Hanamiya snorted, placing a knee on the bed beside Imayoshi and leaning closer to him. A hand ran up his thigh as lips met his with confidence. He pushed Imayoshi back abruptly until he was laying on his bed, leaning over him and holding his gaze as hands rested at his waist.

"You good?" Imayoshi quietly asked as Hanamiya made no further move.

"Yeah, yeah." The other replied. "I just...y'know."

"Don't know where to go?" Imayoshi supplied, a hand leaving Hanamiya's waist and trailing up his back. "Do you want me to--"

"No." Hanamiya breathed, leaning down and brushing his lips against Imayoshi's. "I-I want to take the lead, I mean I don't want you doing all the work."

Imayoshi let out a breathless laugh. "It's not 'work' Makoto. I enjoy it."

Hanamiya's cheeks blossomed a lovely shade of red, not that Imayoshi could really appreciate it in the dim light. "That's not what I meant." He murmured.

The hand that had been trailing up Hanamiya's back stilled, fingertips now slowly drawing circles as Imayoshi mulled over the situation.

"Okay, so what did you mean?" He whispered, gently tilting his face up and capturing Hanamiya's lips in a light kiss. "Is this too much too soon?"

Hanamiya shook his head. "I _want_ to, I'm just not used to...slow and sensual."

There was a small endearing smile from Imayoshi. "I get you." He craned his head to kiss Hanamiya's cheek. "Just go with how you feel." He murmured into the other's ear.

He stole another kiss, this time parting his lips and sighing into Hanamiya's mouth. Hanamiya returned the gesture, rocking his hips ever-so-slightly and relishing in how Imayoshi's breath hitched. He smirked into the next kiss, repeating the gesture as he sought more reactions from his lover. Imayoshi allowed Hanamiya to tease him, to swallow his gasps as fingers ran through his hair and tugged slightly. Being on the back foot in this encounter was a welcome change of pace. To have Hanamiya on top of him pulling the strings with confidence, with nothing but their combined pleasure in mind.

"Oi, Shoi," Hanamiya breathed as he paused for a moment.

"Mm?" Imayoshi hummed, somewhat thankful for the pause so he could catch his breath.

"How long...how long have you thought about...well _us_ being a thing?" Hanamiya was watching his reaction to the question intently, eyes focused on nothing but his expression, not even the bulge in Imayoshi’s slacks could distract him it seemed.

"Uhm." Imayoshi swallowed, the conversation nearly a year ago with Kasamatsu popped into his mind. Though was wasn't strictly the first time he had entertained the idea it was certainly the moment he decided to pursue it. "Nearly a year? Why do you ask?"

"No reason..." Hanamiya murmured, leaning down to cut the conversation off with another kiss, Imayoshi smirked and allowed it momentarily. Just when Hanamiya thought he had gotten away with asking weird questions, Imayoshi hooked his legs under Hanamiya's and flipped their positions, leaning over the younger male with a knowing smile.

"Nice try Makoto, but I know you too well to believe you were merely curious." Imayoshi remarked, kissing Hanamiya's neck and purring audibly as Hanamiya let out a shaky breath. "Why does it matter?"

Biting on his lip, Hanamiya let out another shaky breath. Imayoshi's lips against his neck sent shivers down his spine. "I wanted to know how long you had been thinking about me...like that."

"Like what?" Imayoshi pressed, biting at Hanamiya's earlobe. "Like one of the most important people in my life?"

Hanamiya swallowed, meeting Imayoshi's gaze as he pulled back to look down at him. "...I'm one of the most..." He whispered.

"Yeah," Imayoshi didn't bother trying to hide his smile. "you are."

"A-Anything else?"

Imayoshi chuckled "You want me to tell you every little reason I love you?"

The L-word being mentioned made Hanamiya's eyes widen. He knew the feelings between them were strong but hearing Imayoshi say it was something else entirely. He nodded, watching as Imayoshi stripped off his shirt, the toned chest was an all too familiar sight to him now but he felt his chest tighten as Imayoshi met his gaze again. Lips met in a more desperate gesture, Hanamiya being the first to break away for air and letting out a small moan as Imayoshi's lips strayed to his neck, teeth grazing tender skin with each open-mouthed kiss.

Imayoshi paused for a moment, watching Hanamiya's chest rising and falling quickly with the flurry of sensations. "Reason one; you're one of, if not _the_ smartest person I’ve met. I'm not just talking academically either, you're people smart and you use it to your advantage whenever you see fit."

Hanamiya snorted. "...I mean I'm not _that_ smart, I fucked up the entrance--"

He was silenced by Imayoshi's finger against his lips. "Let me tell you reason number two;" He smiled. "your stubborn determination to prove people wrong, including me."

"Psh." Hanamiya averted his gaze. "That's not a very lovable trait."

"To most people, no." Imayoshi gently grabbed Hanamiya's face and forced him to meet his gaze. "But I'm not just anyone, and I find it a lovable trait."

Without a comeback, Hanamiya nodded slightly, propping himself up on elbows. "Reason three?"

Imayoshi released Hanamiya's face, shifting his position slightly and leaning down to press his lips to the other's collarbone. Leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses, he kept his gaze on Hanamiya's slightly lidded eyes. As he got to Hanamiya's stomach, he stopped, resting his cheek on the soft, smooth skin.

"Reason three; you're a breath of fresh air to my life." He murmured. "With your tornado-like nature and demanding attitude, every time we spend time with each other I find myself enjoying my existence a little more."

The blush was rising more obviously on Hanamiya's cheeks, he swallowed as Imayoshi's fingers teased the waistband of his boxers but didn't seek to strip them away. Instead, Imayoshi remained where he was, walking fingers up Hanamiya's torso.

"Four; somewhat linked to three, I'm somewhat of a workaholic these days and you've been instrumental in making me unplug from my studies and actually go out and live life a bit more. But you also understand the importance of good grades and hard work."

He pushed himself off the bed and leaned closer to claim Hanamiya's lips in a slow gesture. Hanamiya remained still at first, parting his lips and leaning into the kiss slightly. Their noses bumped as he tilted his face to deepen it further.

"Five?" He prompted Imayoshi as he sighed into the other's mouth.

Imayoshi smirked. "Under the bad-boy exterior, you're actually a soft soul. And you understand what kind of pressure having a reputation can put on your shoulders. I feel like we can relate on that level in its simplest form." He nuzzled Hanamiya's neck, he could smell the vanilla from the soap on his skin. "And it's rather cute when you let it show."

"Shut up it's not cute." Hanamiya scoffed, laughing slightly at the idea of cute being a word to describe him.

"It is, with your little pout it's almost to die for." Imayoshi teased. "Wanna hear number six?"

"I think I've heard enough for now." Hanamiya was starting to recompose himself, no longer spooked by the situation but letting it happen the way the stars intended.

"Oh?" Imayoshi drew back slightly. "So now what?"

Hanamiya flashed a confident smile as he cupped Imayoshi's face and held his gaze. "Now, we have mind-blowing sex."

"Always the same with you." Imayoshi hummed.

"Hey, I wasn't _finished_." Hanamiya pouted slightly. "we can be more...slow about it...like you were trying to be that one time."

Imayoshi smiled, finding Hanamiya's blushing cheeks both adorable and amusing. "As you wish."

He was drawn into a deep kiss by Hanamiya, tongues brushing and noses bumping. Small hums and gasps broke the silence. Imayoshi coaxed Hanamiya to wrap his legs around his waist, allowing him to rock his hips against the other's. A louder gasp made him pause momentarily, watching Hanamiya's head tilt back in reaction, his eyes slipping shut. He repeated the gesture; slow, teasing motions that rubbed Hanamiya's cock in just the right way to get him breathing a little heavier.

"You look so beautiful right now." Imayoshi murmured. Hanamiya opened his eyes, regarding Imayoshi with a lidded gaze, his expression mixed between flustered and curious.

"Really, well I'll be a god damn supermodel when you're fucking me." He retorted.

Imayoshi wasn't going to disagree. Instead he trailed a hand down Hanamiya's chest, skipping over his boxers to his own slacks. He felt the other's gaze on him as he pulled them down and left himself clad only in his underwear.

"Damn that's a pretty sight." Hanamiya remarked, raising an eyebrow as he fixed his gaze on the bulge in Imayoshi's briefs.

There was no verbal response from Imayoshi as he tilted Hanamiya's chin up to kiss him again. He sucked on Hanamiya's tongue as hands carded through his hair and tugged in a silent demand. Imayoshi's hands wandered over Hanamiya's chest, running fingertips over toned muscles, not quite tickling him, not intentionally anyway. Legs tightened around his waist as he rocked his hips forward again, a muffled moan from Hanamiya was echoed back to him. The hands that were buried in Imayoshi's hair moved to squeeze his biceps, nails dug in and left red lines as Hanamiya turned his head away from the frenzied kiss.

"Fuck, I'm so close already." Hanamiya breathed as Imayoshi slowed his movements. "What have you done to me?"

Imayoshi huffed in amusement. "I haven't done anything." He kissed the sensitive spot under Hanamiya's ear. "It's all just the natural buzz."

"Like fuck..." Hanamiya half-heartedly argued. The warmth that he usually didn't feel until they were much further along in their endeavours was a raging inferno inside him. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, sighing heavily in a vague attempt to keep himself together as his cock strained against his boxers. "Fuck..."

"Hmm?"

"Fuck going slow." Hanamiya quipped, abruptly pushing Imayoshi back a little. The small smirk on the other's face didn't go unnoticed.

"You're allowed to cum more than once y'know." Imayoshi's hands rested at Hanamiya's waist as he waited to hear what his lover wanted.

"Yeah, I know that. But I don't want to cum until you're balls deep inside me."

The bluntness of the statement was in true Hanamiya fashion and only got a small chuckle from Imayoshi.

"Say no more, I can definitely make that happen."

"Oh so _now_ who's cocky."

Imayoshi's response was to slip his fingers under the waistband of Hanamiya's boxers and pull it back only to release it to snap back to his body with a satisfying slap. Hanamiya stuck out his tongue in reply. Leaning over Hanamiya, Imayoshi dug out the bottle of lube and dropped it onto the bed beside them before returning to caging Hanamiya against the bed with his arms.

"One thing." Hanamiya broke the silence, Imayoshi nodded for him to continue. "I wanna do it like this..." He brought his hands to Imayoshi's forearms. "I wanna see you."

"I..." Imayoshi swallowed, he hadn't expected that, this would actually be the first time they'd be watching each other's expressions. "I'd like that too."

Hanamiya smiled before laughing. "Okay now that mushy shit is out of the way, make me see stars Shoichi."

He didn't need to be told twice, Imayoshi kissed Hanamiya again, biting on his bottom lip before pulling back to finally strip them both fully. Being naked wasn't a new thing for them, but the build up to this specific act was making them notice things they hadn't noticed before. Hanamiya hadn't really appreciated how toned Imayoshi's thighs were until that moment, nor did he give the other enough credit for being able to stay on his knees for so long without them going numb.

The lube bottle was uncapped, Hanamiya's eyes watching the sticky substance dripple out onto Imayoshi's fingers. He swallowed as he felt the cool fingertips rubbing against him, his eyes fluttering shut. Lips against his startled him, but he went with it, letting the kiss deepen as fingertips ease inside him with well-practised care. The thrusts were slow and focused on his pleasure. Fingertips rubbed his inner walls, curling occasionally and making his back arch as his nerves were toyed it. Imayoshi swallowed his gasps, moans and mewls for more.

"Fuck don't tease me please...please not tonight." Hanamiya babbled against Imayoshi's lips as a hand loosely wrapped around his cock and gave a few teasing strokes. "Please just--"

Imayoshi curled his fingers, Hanamiya's words melted into a moan.

"Just what?" Imayoshi withdrew his fingers, scrambling for the lube bottle.

Hanamiya's eyes were open enough for him to watch Imayoshi's flustered expression and his clumsy actions. He let out a small sigh. "Just love me, make love to me."

Imayoshi froze at the statement, locking eyes with Hanamiya. He couldn't hide the blush on his cheeks as he fumbled with the lube under Hanamiya's gaze. Once he managed to calm his racing heart and do the necessary preparations, he leaned back over Hanamiya, a fondness in his expression as the other gazed up at him with only one thing pooling in his dark green eyes;

Love.

Unconditional, unrivalled, unquestionable love.

If he had known on New Year’s Eve that they'd be in this situation here and now, Imayoshi would've laughed and said the stars lied. That his hatsumode fortune had been misprinted. That when it said he'd 'find happiness with his one true love' it was meant for someone else.

the corner of Hanamiya's mouth turned upwards as he smiled, reaching up and brushing a portion of Imayoshi's fringe away from his eyes. Imayoshi returned the smile before rocking his lips forward. Hanamiya's lips parted in a silent gasp, eyes fluttering shut again as Imayoshi bit down on his lip in concentration. He watched Hanamiya's lips frame words that he did not speak, driving deeper and breathing heavily through his nose.

A breathless kiss was exchanged as Imayoshi changed the angle of his thrusts. Hanamiya's arms flew to wrap around his neck and keep him close. Eyes opened and held Imayoshi's gaze, their depths pulling him closer to the edge with their intensity. He grunted as he quickened his movements to an unforgiving, raw pace. Hanamiya found his voice again as the raging inferno inside him threatened to overwhelm him. With each hard thrust he gasped or moaned, his sweet spot being ruthlessly toyed with.

"Shoi..chi..." He breathed as Imayoshi stilled, bottoming out abruptly.

Imayoshi would never forget the way Hanamiya's eyes glazed over, how his back arched and pressed his chest against Imayoshi's, how he both figuratively and literally pulled Imayoshi over the edge when he came undone.

His forearms shook as they held him above Hanamiya. He could hear his pulse in his ears as he rocked his hips in shallow movements. Hanamiya's arms were still wrapped around his neck, keeping him from pulling away to deal with the aftermath. With care, he leaned closer and kissed Hanamiya's chapped and bitten lips, not quite expecting Hanamiya to return it. After trading several light, lazy kisses, he pulled back, brushing some of Hanamiya's hair away from his face so he could see the other more clearly.

"...how was that?" He whispered when Hanamiya blinked at him a few times.

"Fucking amazing." Hanamiya breathed, a tired smile on his face.

"Did you see stars?" Imayoshi teased, nuzzling his neck and sighing heavily.

"Yeah..." A tired reply came.

Imayoshi felt the heavy silence beckoning, the silence that would lull them to sleep quickly if he let it. If he didn't say it now he would never forgive himself, not after everything that he had said and done to get here.

"I love you." He whispered.

He heard Hanamiya's breath hitch before a quiet chuckle came from him. A hand ran through his hair and tugged him back to meet Hanamiya's gaze.

"I love you too, you sarcastic, sassy bastard."

Imayoshi laughed, deciding not to dwell on the confession any longer than he had to. "You know, we could probably do with a bath after that..."

He expected Hanamiya to complain about moving, to demand sleep first. But then again, Hanamiya was always full of surprises.

"Fuck yeah, I can use one of the other bath bomb things!" He grinned.

Whilst the bathtub was filled for the second time that day, this time a golden, glittery bomb being tossed into it, Imayoshi wasted no time in stripping the now dirty bedsheets and putting new ones on. He walked back into the bathroom to find Hanamiya already in the hot water, surrounded by golden water and a strong smell of cocoa in the air.

"This is so god damn good." Hanamiya declared as he swirled the water around with his hand. "I'm totally going back to that shop."

After lowering himself into the tub, Imayoshi drew Hanamiya into his arms and kissed his neck. "I'll let my sister know she was instrumental in your happiness."

"Well, you're the one who bought them." Hanamiya pointed out, leaning back into Imayoshi's hold.

"Consider it my treat, for my boyfriend."

Hanamiya chuckled, allowing a short pause before nodding. "Alright, _boyfriend_."

"Glad you agree."

Hanamiya craned his neck to peck Imayoshi’s lips before refocusing on how the golden glitter swirled around them. With all the stress of his entrance exams bearing down on him, it felt uplifting to be in the presence of the one who could make him forget about everything. He didn't have to worry about how he portrayed himself around Imayoshi, because Imayoshi accepted all of him, like he accepted all of Imayoshi. They had their differences though, and that's what made it all the more interesting.

When they fell asleep that night, tangled up in each other's arms and the bed sheets, Hanamiya had never felt so wanted in his life. Nothing could top the feeling of falling asleep next to the one who had picked him up when he felt his entire future crash down before it had even begun.

It had only been two weeks since they officially began dating when he got the letter, the official stationery of Tokyo University had chilled him to the bone and he demanded Imayoshi be there when he opened what he was convinced was a rejection letter. He had gripped Imayoshi's hand in a vice-like fashion as he read the neatly printed text, and then _reread_ it three more times to get the words to make sense in his mind.

"Letter...of acceptance." He murmured as Imayoshi squeezed his hand. "Fucking--holy shit I..."

"You got in, like I said you would because you're god damn _smart enough_ to get in."

"Shut the fuck up--"

Imayoshi laughed as Hanamiya pouted at him. He let the other punch him a few times in the shoulder to get his feelings across before yielding. Hanamiya sighed heavily and reread the letter, breaking into relieved laughter.

"I got in. I have a future." He murmured.

"You've always had a future." Imayoshi nudged him. "The stars told you so."

Hanamiya was about to protest at the stars and their accuracy but then thought better of it, after all the stars had been right so far for the most part. He had succeeded in his studies and he had made great progress in his relationship, now he just needed to make new friends and settle old rivalries to complete the circle.

He could wait a little longer for that though, for now he was just going to relish in the success he had been gifted with, only time would tell how accurate the heavens were, but that was part of the fun.

 

* * *

 


End file.
